With the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer an option for Amar’e Stoudemire, the Phoenix Suns are prepared to keep their All-Star forward through Thursday’s trade deadline, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Unless a trade materializes before Thursday afternoon, Stoudemire very well could spend the rest of the season in Phoenix.

“I think it’s 50-50 at best with Cleveland out of it,” said Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters.

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports As talks with the New York Knicks stalled on Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets quietly recruited the Sacramento Kings as part of a three-team trade discussion that would deliver Tracy McGrady to the Chicago Bulls, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The proposed deal was contingent on John Salmons staying with the Bulls, but that appeared in doubt with the Milwaukee Bucks expecting to complete their own trade for Salmons.

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports The San Antonio Spurs are trying to unload Antonio McDyess and the remaining $7.5 million owed him after this season to possibly clear a way to make a trade for Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Spurs have been searching for expiring deals to move McDyess, who will make $4.9 million next season and is guaranteed about $2.6 million in 2011-12. Trading McDyess would free minutes and give them greater flexibility to re-sign Thomas this summer if they want. Thomas would give the Spurs a younger, more athletic complement to Tim Duncan, and could be part of a future frontline with former first-round pick Tiago Splitter and rookie DeJuan Blair.

The Spurs are also shopping Roger Mason, who is in the final season of his contract, with the help of Mason’s agent. In addition to Mason, they have a number of other expiring contracts – Michael Finley, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi among them – to possibly offer the Bulls.

As the Chicago Bulls prepare to trade forward Tyrus Thomas before Thursday’s deadline, the franchise’s front office has suggested to prospective bidders that they have a solid offer of a middling first-round pick and expiring contracts, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets made bids for Thomas over the weekend, league sources said. The Nuggets have actively searched for a big man in recent weeks, working to pry younger (DeAndre Jordan) and older ones (Antonio McDyess and Ben Wallace) without success.

Nevertheless, here are two developments to watch with Thomas: Several league executives suggested the Minnesota Timberwolves could be a sleeper for him. Minnesota general manager David Kahn has been researching Thomas and has plenty of assets – three 2010 first-round picks, multiple second-rounders and a host of expiring contracts – to make it happen.

Right now, multiple sources have said, the Cavs are still working hard to assemble three-team trades. They have been in direct talks with the Phoenix Suns about Amare Stoudemire, the Indiana Pacers about Troy Murphy and the Washington Wizards about Antawn Jamison.

But they also are involving the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers in trying to set things up. In recent weeks the Cavs have also had expanded talks with the Chicago Bulls about making them a partner. If that seems like a wide net, it is supposed to be.

There's often such expansive talks at this time as teams attempt to satisfy numerous needs with bigger deals. Usually, though, if anything gets done it is just between two teams. General Manager Danny Ferry did pull off a three-team deal at the deadline two years ago, however.

Sources have indicated the Cavs have gotten "pretty far down the tracks" in talking to the Suns about Stoudemire. It has even gotten to the point that the sides have discussed small details like payment schedules and salary reimbursement options. At this time of year, because many contracts are pro-rated differently, there are such things to work out in a trade.